Minecraft Creator Being Sued By Bethesda

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Will the war of the "Scrolls" be resolved peacefully?

By Nathan Meunier

Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson is in the process of being sued by Bethesda Softworks, though the legal issue has nothing to do with the sandbox indie sensation set to launch later this year. In a blog post explaining the situation today, Notch says Bethesda's attorneys are seeking to stop him from using "Scrolls" for the title of his next upcoming game, stating it infringes on their existing trademark for "The Elder Scrolls" games.

About six months ago, Notch filed trademarks for both Minecraft and his next planned gaming project to be called Scrolls. Shortly after, attorneys for Bethesda contacted him with concerns about the trademark. Notch says he took their concerns seriously and attempted to compromise, though he doesn't believe that his game infringes on their existing trademark.

"The implication that you could own the right to all individual words within a trademark is also a bit scary," he says. "We looked things up and realized they didn't have much of a case, but we still took it seriously. Nothing about Scrolls is meant to in any way derive from or allude to their games." Time passed, and he heard nothing more on the subject until today, when he received a 15-page letter today from Bethesda's legal council threatening a lawsuit if he doesn't stop all use of the name "Scrolls."

Notch says he's a big fan of Bethesda's work, adding "I assume this nonsense is partly just their lawyers being lawyers, and a result of trademark law being the way it is."

We've contacted Bethesda representatives with a request for comment, and are awaiting their response. Stay tuned!